This release concludes Ondine’s edition of the symphonies by Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (1919-2008) who, born in Latvia and educated in Paris, spent his final 57 years in Canada, where his music was well received if without attracting much attention in the United States or Western Europe.

The terse outer movements of the Second Symphony (1967) allow flute, oboe and clarinet in this Sinfonia concertante to shine, but only in the central variations does this music assume real pathos as Ķeniņš puts a wistful theme (associated with the Mi’kmaq of Eastern Canada) through its paces en route to a heartfelt close. That he completed his Third Symphony (1970) soon after turning 50 endows it with a ‘middle of life’ aspect evident in the initial Allegro’s ambivalent musing and more so in the central Lento’s progress towards a fatalistic remoteness. It remains for the finale to instil an unequivocal resolve as to end with a measure of defiance.

The Seventh (1980) is subtitled ‘Symphony in the form of a Passacaglia’, a saturnine instance of which is the second of these four continuous sections; framed by an Intrada of cumulative intensity and an Allegro of ominous import. A setting of Atis Ķeniņš (the composer’s father), the final Aria transcends these conflicting emotions so that the possibility of hope might at least be acted upon before time has run its course. Zanda Švēde is an always eloquent soloist.

Andrew Mellor offered a warm recommendation to previous releases in this series (7/21, 2/22), and the expertise of the Latvian National Symphony’s contribution under Andris Poga plus the quality of sound make for a distinctive overview of a composer worth encountering.